By Alexander Nyarko Yeboah, GNA
Tema, Oct. 24, GNA - The Head of Community Development Unit of the Social Welfare and Community Development of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), has asked the public to demand food handler’s certificates from food vendors before patronizing them.
Ms. Theresa Anafi says, “It’s expected that most food handlers pass the food handler’s test by the TMA and the Food and Drugs Board (FGB) to be cleared of certain contagious diseases or poor sanitary conditions before they give the person that certificate.”
She said this on Wednesday during a durbar at the Manheam Methodist Basic School to educate school children on the need to wash their hands with soap and running water in commemoration of the Global Day of hand washing.
She observed that, even though it was the duty of the assembly and FDB to check those who operated food joints for strict adherence to hygienic standards, “Food joints sometimes spring up at places we may not see and that’s why the public must help.”
She pleaded with government and other stakeholders to make funds and facilities available to enable children wash their hands at school as a prerequisite for healthy living.
She said they chose Tema Newtown for the campaign because it had a lot of sanitation issues with very poor conditions in certain parts of the community and therefore there was the need to do more education in the community.
The Head Teacher of the Manheam Methodist Basic School, Mr. Michael Mensah Annang, stressed the need to incorporate hygiene studies in “our school curricular as a way of changing the mindset of the populace” concerning healthy living.
The Head teacher of St. Johns Methodist School, Mr. Joseph Kobina Ennison, the second school they visited, in appreciating the campaign, observed that education had not gone well with the Newtown community which meant that it would take more effort to be able re-orient them.
He prayed that the TMA would do more sensitization programmes to help adults in the community embrace hygienic practices for the younger ones would follow suit.
As part of the demonstration, the children were taught how to wash their hands including in between fingers, under nails and palms by washing under running water and soap any time before meals and after visiting the toilet.
GNA
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